


Both Sides of the Equation

by antigrav_vector



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Bisexual Bucky Barnes, Bisexual Character, Bisexual Male Character, Canon-Typical Violence, Comic Book Science, Crack, Crack Treated Seriously, Curses, F/M, Fluff and Crack, Gender or Sex Swap, Injury, M/M, Magic, Magical Accidents, Major Character Injury, Multi, Non-Binary Tony Stark, POV Tony Stark, Pansexual Character, Polyamory, Polyamory Negotiations, Polyfidelity, Super Soldier Serum, Threesome - F/M/M, Threesome - M/M/M, canon compliant through IM2, serum enhancements
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-21
Updated: 2017-08-11
Packaged: 2018-12-01 18:04:10
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 20,912
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11491755
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/antigrav_vector/pseuds/antigrav_vector
Summary: After a disastrous encounter with a supposedly cursed pool during a business trip, Tony's life gets weird. Suddenly putting on his Iron Man armor, temporarily transforms him into a woman! Now he has to cope with the consequences... One of which seems to be that this curse also makes him irresistible to super soldiers.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I would like to blame this one on someone, but nope, this time it was all me. Mostly an excuse to write genderswap and lots of filthy smut. There's not a lot of plot in this one, though you can probably spot some if you try.
> 
> Presented with thanks to my beta readers Amonae and Quarra.
> 
> I aim to post updates to this twice a week, probably on Tuesdays and Fridays, but this may vary a little.

He'd been good, this trip. Hadn't overindulged in the alcohol, and even let his hosts take him on a tour of some supposedly cursed springs. The representatives of the company Stark Industries had been trying to woo into a possible buy-out had insisted that they show him this local ghost story and left him no polite way out.

Tony scowled. "Fucking magic."

"While that is possible, sir," JARVIS answered, "I doubt it will be as simple to counteract as finding a one night stand."

Located in a fairly populated area, but only infrequently visited except by tourists, the springs were well maintained, and also carefully tended. There were even several themed hotels nearby to take advantage of the tourists that wanted to see the place. The spring itself was surrounded by well-manicured gardens and sheltered by a building that looked like it had once been a Buddhist temple. It was clear that it hadn't been used for that purpose for quite a long time, though. All of the trappings had been removed.

The barriers that usually kept visitors at a safe distance from the spring had been removed, as well, and his guides had ushered him right up to the edge of the water, eagerly telling him the story behind the place. He hadn't been overly interested, but even his lukewarm 'sure I'm listening' responses hadn't deterred them. Instead of paying attention, he amused himself by doing structural calculations about the architecture.

Then, just as he'd reached a result that said the place was probably going to last through another few centuries before it even needed maintenance or restoration of any kind, his guides attempted to steer him in two different directions at once, apparently not quite in agreement of what script they were supposed to follow.

It had resulted in Tony taking an impromptu swim and utter horror on the parts of everyone around him. He had brushed off their concern at the time. He was fine, if drenched. He'd been more annoyed that his suit was ruined than anything else.

He'd made his excuses and gone back to his hotel, taking a long hot shower and putting his spare suit on, then gone right back to dealing with the negotiations. Supremely distracted by the 'disaster' the tour had turned into, they'd been very accommodating, and Tony had flown home on his jet with no inkling that his life was about to take a turn for the bizarre.

It was only after he'd gotten back to his workshop that the true insanity started. He'd been far too wound up to sleep, his body more or less adjusted to Tokyo time, so Tony had pulled up a set of armour schematics and started tweaking. He'd gotten through the simulations and then the machining and assembly, before things had taken a turn for the bizarre.

Tony had put on the suit and then paused. Despite matching the previous iteration perfectly, the suit's dimensions had seemed to be miscalibrated.

As he'd puzzled over that, trying to work out why the armour was too tight over his chest and at his hips, JARVIS had piped up to ask what was happening.

It had only been clear what was different once he'd taken the armour back off.

Somehow, through means he wasn't going to contemplate because they gave him a headache, he was female now. And it appeared to be triggered by putting on his armour. What wasn't clear was why it was happening.

His money was on that cursed spring, since this had never happened before, but he had no proof. And no indication of what said curse was, exactly, or how to break it.

Leaning back in his chair and letting it spin idly, be prodded at the -- admittedly very nice -- boobs he suddenly had. Pepper was going to flip the fuck out.

If he hadn't more or less decided for himself years ago that his outward gender didn't matter beyond what he was used to and what the world at large expected to see, this would have been far more annoying. As it was, it gave him some new territory to explore without the need for surgery or any of that other nonsense.

He made a note to suggest to Pepper that they buy that spring and market its water to trans people. Maybe they could work it into one of the Maria Stark philanthropic programs. Some kind of LGBT+ outreach never really went amiss.

Groaning and scrubbing at his face with his hands, Tony braced his elbows on his workbench. "This is a disaster. I need some air, J, warm up the suit."

"Very well, sir. Might I inquire as to what the spin will be for this?"

Tony made a face. "None if I can keep it out of the media. Get the instrument suite in the Tower ready. We're going to need it. And take some preliminary measurements in the suit."

The flight he took around downtown New York felt like it took four times as long as usual and only made him tenser, rather than relaxing or diverting him. He couldn't seem to let go of the need to _fix this new problem_ and the results JARVIS displayed on the HUD weren't helping his mood at all. JARVIS' measurements said that his biometrics were -- except for the obvious physical changes -- identical to when he last wore the suit. He was still himself, just with female genitalia, and if that wasn't a weird and fucked up situation to just stumble into blindly, he didn't know what was.

Once he got back to the Tower, he holed himself up in the shop and decided he wasn't leaving before he'd figured this out.

There was no way he could go out in public like this. It was well known that he was Iron Man and didn't let anyone else anywhere near the armour. And he wasn't about to stop carrying around the suitcase suit. It had saved his ass far too often.

"Tony?" Pepper's voice rang out as the door clicked open, "JARVIS says I should--"

She stopped dead when he turned to face her automatically.

"Holy shit."

Tony huffed, making a sound that might have maybe been a laugh if he'd had any energy left to keep up his façade. "Yeah, Pep, it's me."

"What happened to you?" She managed to ask, her voice more than a little hoarse and choked.

"Wish I could tell you." Tony ran his hands through his (her?) hair. At least it hadn't magically grown any longer. "I have no idea what happened or how to fix it."

"JARVIS," Pepper took charge as smoothly as she ever did, "place orders for the usual set of feminine products we keep on hand for guests, in Tony's brands, and throw in some underthings in the correct sizes."

"Of course, Ms. Potts." JARVIS sounded relieved to have something productive and helpful to do.

Tony growled at his CEO. "I'm not wearing a bra or anything with lace on it."

Pepper eyed him. "You'll change your mind the first time you have to run somewhere or get a bit too cold. Now come on upstairs and eat. You need to tell me what pronouns you want me to use while you're looking like this and how the rest of the trip went."

Over the course of the next twelve hours, Tony had to admit that she was right. He'd intended to stick to his guns, but climbing stairs two and three at a time like he usually did resulted in quite a lot more bounce than usual, and it was more painful than he'd expected.

And his center of mass was suddenly in a very different place. It was not something he'd have expected to change, but at least he had practice re-learning how to balance, thanks to the armour.

Waking up the next morning was very disorienting. He'd worked through most of the night, until JARVIS had put his foot down and forced him to sleep.

Once Tony had allowed himself to fall face first onto his workshop sofa, his AI's quiet "Good night, sir," followed him into sleep. His dreams had been strange formless things, neither good nor bad, and he was kind of grateful for that when his eyes opened. 

On the other hand, he wasn't sure how he felt about waking up to the feeling of the same weirdness that had started the night before. It was just bizarre to realise that he still had tits.

Now, though, there was the additional complication that he, well, felt aroused as hell but wasn't quite sure how to react to that. It wasn't like not having a dick was making it feel wrong, thank fuck, but he felt all kinds of confused about the idea of trying to get himself off without one. So much cognitive dissonance.

He knew how. He'd done it before for a lot of his one-night stands.

Taking a deep breath to steady himself, Tony resisted the urge to grit his teeth and reached down, sliding his hand under the boxers he'd worn to sleep in.

It was just like touching any of the women he'd gotten off over the years. Well, with the exception of the way the smooth soft skin gave way to coarse hair. His lovers had always been inclined to shave or wax.

It was already slick and wet, since he was still turned on as hell despite the deep abiding strangeness of this, and Tony had to bite his lip as he ran his fingers back and forth across the sensitive skin, teasing the sensations out of nerve endings he was pretty sure he hadn't had before.

His experience was paying very unexpected dividends, here, he decided as he found a startlingly sensitive spot and a shiver ran up his spine.

Before he could really enjoy it, he hit a peak and came with a whine.

Well, then.

He clearly would have to practice that a bit more. It had been nice, but he wanted to draw it out a lot more next time.

Showering off revealed a few more things of great interest. He'd closed his eyes and stepped under the warm spray, reaching for his soap to clean off, and startled hard at the sudden familiar sensation of water hitting his -- thankfully male again -- torso. In a somewhat ironic twist, he had to wash his dick. Apparently, he'd just very literally fucked himself.

With a deep sense of relief, he'd gone about his day, back to normal.

JARVIS hadn't said a word about the underwear and hygiene products.


	2. Chapter 2

The transformation kept happening, consistently, every time he put on his armour. This was annoying because he couldn't change the dimensions of his armour wholesale to accommodate the differences in his physiology. At least, not without people picking up on the alterations and shouting about them in the tabloids -- and probably the more reputable news agencies, too, once they figured out that the tabloids had actually picked up on something, for once.

That didn't mean he couldn't make any changes at all, though. Sure, there was only so much he could do, but Tony did adjust the inner dimensions as much as possible. It took a bit of the discomfort out of the equation. So did building some support and the equivalent of a compression sports bra into his underarmour.

In the end, it didn't actually force him to make that many adjustments to his lifestyle. But, while it didn't seem to be a huge problem on a personal and practical level, Tony hated the complications it caused where maintaining his identity was concerned. He'd come out as Iron Man to avoid having to lead a double life, and now he was forced to, despite that. Ironically, coming out when he had first put on the suit was what was giving him trouble now. If he'd kept his mouth shut, he might be facing down less of an issue where the press was concerned. As things stood, he couldn't reveal what had happened because it would cause an insane PR nightmare and Pepper would skin him.

On the plus side, it hadn't taken him and JARVIS long to work out what caused the transformation. That had become clear the moment he'd stepped into the shower that first morning. Every time Tony put on the armour, becoming Iron Man, he also became she. Since then they'd worked out that, if he couldn't get a hot shower, 24 hours would reverse the transformation, too. Regardless of whether he was in the armour.

They didn't find a way to break the curse, though, and it had already been a few months since that disaster of a business trip to Japan. In the interim, he had to admit, suddenly being female had even helped him evade the paparazzi a few times.

Then again, it had its downsides. Tony groaned as a strong cramp hit him; this menstruation thing was far more annoying than he'd thought it would be.

\------

Falling, his air supply compromised and the arc reactor guttering like a candle in a breeze, Tony knew he might as well make his peace with dying. He'd accepted that he wasn't getting back. Widow would close the portal before he got back to it. Would have to. The rest of the team couldn't risk the Chitauri recovering somehow or the shockwave of the explosion getting through.

At least he'd royally fucked up the Chitauri that had tried to destroy his city.

Tony let his eyes close, his thoughts tracing back over the short time the Avengers had existed as a team.

When they had reluctantly come together, a mix of abrasive personalities and fighters used to working solo, Tony'd assumed they all knew about the curse he had yet to work out how to break, even after nearly two years.

Fury sure as fuck knew. He'd hinted at it pretty obviously during the 'recruitment' spiel he'd given Tony.

When his helmet had come off on the quinjet, though, all of them had done a double take. His feminine features caught everyone off guard. Well. Everyone but a certain asshole of a Norse god. Loki had smirked at him and asked which form he liked better, heavily implying that he was asking about sex.

While Tony had thought about it, genuinely not sure which he liked better -- and, yes, he had tried it out, thanks; he was a hedonist at heart -- Captain America had been the one to turn on the asshat and tear him a new one, and Tony had not known how to react to that at all.

Both because the guy was defending him, and because the guy was somehow alive, despite having been frozen solid for 70 years. That was a story crazier than Tony's own. How that was possible, he had no idea.

Much later, after they'd gotten Loki back to the helicarrier, failed to prevent Loki from blowing up said helicarrier, fought one another, and gotten Coulson killed, Captain America had sought him out.

That had been a conversation that confused the fuck out of Tony, which was really saying something considering the day they'd had so far.

The Capsicle had asked him what Loki had meant, and Tony, still very much female at the time, had shrugged. 'Most of the time, I'm a guy,' he'd answered and watched Cap try to process that statement. 'Long story. I'll tell you later if we all get through this.'

\------

Tony came awake with a gasp and tried to sit up. His suit, dead weight thanks to the battle they'd just fought, kept him pinned to the ground.

Groaning, Tony squinted up into the bright sunlight. "What the fuck just happened?"

Cap, a relieved smile on his face, shrugged. "We won."

Letting himself relax back to the ground, Tony closed his eyes again with a pained hiss. "You know what, I'm not moving for a week. Just gonna stay here. And where's my faceplate?" 

"First we must deal with Loki, my friend," Thor told Tony, offering him the missing armour piece, the anger in his voice like growling thunder.

Damn the man, he had a point.

"Ugh, fine." Tony had to fight to lift his arm. "Someone give me a hand up."

Cap's hand went around his armoured forearm and Tony found himself on his feet a moment later. He staggered, and Cap's other hand steadied him.

"I was wrong about you," the Capsicle admitted quietly. "You saved us all, and I… I'm sorry for what I said back there."

Tony eyed him warily, then nodded. It was forgiven, but not forgotten. "Let's get this over with, then," he said turning toward his Tower and forcing the armour's joints to move. Some of them ground and crunched and Tony winced at the thought of just how much time he would have to spend repairing his suit. "I've got a date with my hot tub."

Maybe it would be faster to just upgrade his armour, then have JARVIS machine and assemble a new one.

\------

Tony wasn't sure how it happened, but in the aftermath of the battle Cap ended up moving in with him. Hawkass and Widow did too. His science bro, Banner, wasn't comfortable being in New York, and decided to keep wandering, though he agreed to keep in touch. Thor went back to Asgard with Loki in tow, and Tony found he didn't really regret that. He liked Thor, but if it meant Loki was contained properly Tony wasn't going to insist Thor stay with them.

The days turned into weeks, after that, and the weeks into months. And still Cap stayed. He occasionally made comments about taking a road trip around the country, but never actually followed through. The two SHIELD Agents only rarely crossed Tony's path, and all three of them were fine with that.

And Tony… well, Tony was at his wits' end where this stupid curse was concerned. Nothing he'd tried had worked, and no test he could dream up gave him any more information about his 'condition' than he'd started with.

He impulsively decided not to give any further fucks about the curse one day in late October, soon before the Stark Industries Halloween party. If he couldn't fix this, he might as well use it to his advantage.

Then again.

He'd known right from the start that it would probably make his life a lot more complicated to come out about this. Pepper was dead set against it for the time being, and he was inclined to listen to her. Pepper's advice had been invaluable over the last decade, and she'd taken a gleeful kind of vindictive pleasure in educating him in how to deal with being female.

He suspected it was partially because he'd made her suffer through his playboy phase. Becoming Iron Man had more or less put an end to that, but he'd had a reputation to uphold. The world had decided that he and Pepper were dating just after the Vanko debacle, and they hadn't openly denied it. It had, somewhat ironically, strengthened Pepper's position after he'd made her CEO because everyone had just assumed their relationship was a romance for the ages and that they would eventually marry.

Some idiot had spun a story at the time about a slow burn romance and their success in hiding it from the media and everyone had just eaten it up.

That they hadn't denied it had made it the truth.

Anyway. His relationship with Pepper was, as it had always been, a close but platonic one.

The thing was, though, recently Cap had been very awkwardly dropping hints all over the place about what sounded like invitations for dates. And, if he was honest, Tony kind of wanted to take the man up on it. 

They'd had time to work through their initial misconceptions about one another, meantime. More or less. They didn't see eye-to-eye by any means, but they were working their way towards an understanding, of sorts.

It did mean that he might have to talk to Pepper about the spin if they were to 'break up', though.

Standing up from his spot on his sofa and stepping out onto his personal landing pad, Tony leaned on the railing and stared down at the city streets, enjoying the feeling of the wind in his hair.

As though his thoughts had summoned her, Pepper joined him a minute later.

"You're thinking hard about something," she commented, doing what she could to hide her amusement. "Or is it some _one_?"

She always could see right through him. "Is that approval?"

"You always have had a taste for blonds."

Tony winced. She definitely knew exactly who he was considering a fling with. This definitely had the feel of something potentially more serious, but he knew it fell into the same kind of category from Pepper's point of view. "That doesn't mean I'm going to say yes."

Pepper huffed at him. "I've known you far too long to fall for that line. I don't have a problem with it, but do me a favor and keep it under wraps until we can deal with the PR." 

"No promises."

She rolled her eyes at him, and leaned her shoulder against his briefly. "Tony," she added, a hint of warning in her tone, "I mean it."

\------

The morning after their chat, the press release went out, and Tony watched the media froth at its collective mouth. JARVIS notified him of ten interview requests within minutes of Pepper's announcement that they had amicably decided to go their separate ways.

Cap had found him a few minutes after that. "Tony?"

He didn't look up from his holographic interface. "Yeah?"

There was a brief silence that Tony broke. "What do you need, Cap?"

"I thought I asked you to call me Steve." Cap replied mildly, ignoring Tony's initial question and watching him intently.

With a mental shrug, Tony conceded the point. "What do you need, Steve?" He asked again, a bit pointedly.

Steve leaned against the workbench next to Tony. "Well, I wasn't expecting Ms. Potts to make that announcement. Why didn't you tell me the two of you were stepping out together?"

Tony swiped a hand through the display, minimising it, and turned to face him properly. "Thought you'd caught up with most of the current events since the Chitauri thing."

Steve made a face. "In all that information -- different parts of which different people claimed was relevant, by the way -- how was I supposed to pick out a detail about your personal life that hasn't come up in all the time I've lived in the Tower?"

"Fair," he conceded, and watched most of the barely visible tension leave Steve's shoulders. The man was remarkably good at keeping his tells minimal and his emotions under wraps. "But that doesn't tell me why you felt the need to come down here specifically to ask me about it."

Honestly, the fact that it hadn't come up around Steve should have been a big clue.

Steve shrugged. "Seemed like a reaction to… me," he got out after a moment.

Tony gave him a long look as he debated what to say. "You know, people are usually telling me that it's not all about me. Having the roles reversed feels weird, but, Steve, not everything is about you."

"Tony," he replied carefully, "I can tell you're deflecting."

Giving in, Tony asked him the expected question, pretty sure he knew what the answer was. "Why do you want to know?"

"You don't have to break off your relationship with Ms. Potts over this. I misread the situation."

And there it was. "No, you didn't," Tony told him, just to watch him flounder a little more.

Steve's eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about?"

"We were never dating. The media made it up, and it was a story that actually made life easier for us, so we let it ride." He raised an eyebrow at Steve, who was gaping at him a little. "So. You've been hinting a lot. Are you serious about this?"

It took Steve a few seconds to gather his wits enough to respond, and when he did, Tony wanted to grin. Steve squared his shoulders and met Tony's eyes almost challengingly. "Are you?"


	3. Chapter 3

Tony legitimately couldn't tell if it bothered Steve at all that he changed gender whenever he fought in the armour or, for that matter, whenever he wanted. The man was almost infuriatingly cute, and very old fashioned in his approach to dating.

Tony only knew that because Pepper had commented on it once, though. Despite the lack of romantic interest between them, his relationship with her was really the only experience he'd ever had with actually dating rather than just picking up models for a night of fun and then moving on. In the end they had gone on just enough public dates -- for events like galas and fundraisers and the like -- to keep their fictional relationship looking convincingly successful.

So Tony did know how dates worked. He'd applied what he'd learned to Steve, too, for all that what he knew was how to date someone who identified as feminine. Most of the same principles applied, after all.

But, in spite of all his efforts, he couldn't seem to persuade Steve to do anything physical with him, and going out in public together, as a pair, was out of the question. It was frustrating just how slowly Steve insisted on moving. They'd been together for two weeks and all they'd done was hold hands a lot and touch a little.

To make matters more confusing for him, every time Tony asked, Steve simply told him that he wanted to do things right. It didn't really matter how Tony phrased the question, he kept getting the same response.

Really, all Tony wanted was some relief from the sexual tension Steve somehow kept stoking higher and higher while making the process look effortless.

In a moment of near desperation, he had complained to Pepper. Pepper was better at relationships than he was and would know what to do, right? Tony huffed a little at the memory of the exchange. She'd ordered him a selection of vibrators and included a note about oversharing. He was convinced she was jealous.

In the end he gave in and tried them out, in a fit of desperation. It didn't help with the horniness but he did discover that he wanted to ask Steve to use them on him, thanks to his overactive imagination.

After another two weeks, having waited out his period in the body he was most used to wearing -- it was far less messy that way, since for whatever bizarre reason the curse seemed to track days continuously rather than separately for his two genders -- Tony made a decision. If Steve wasn't going to make a move, he was.

Laying out a small selection of his toys on his bed, Tony went hunting. He threw on the suitcase suit, rode out the physical changes the transformation caused, and pulled up Steve's location on his HUD.

Tracking the man down wasn't difficult, thanks to JARVIS, who'd anticipated what he wanted, as usual.

"Sir," his AI asked as he moved to strip the suit back off, "might I inquire as to your plan of action?"

It had always been always a relief that JARVIS had never changed his mode of address, and probably would always be, since it looked like this curse was here to stay. "Well," he replied after a pause, still half in his armour, "I want orgasms, assisted ones, and I aim to get them."

"Then I would suggest ensuring that Captain Rogers is on board with your plan before you attempt to seduce him."

Tony shrugged at his AI then shucked the armour the rest of the way off without a word and rooted around in his closet for the most effective 'fuck me' clothes he could find.

"First things first," he told JARVIS as he stripped off his shop jeans and a-shirt in favor of a very short pair of artistically frayed cutoffs, his favourite red thong, a lacy black bra that didn't match anything else in his 'ensemble' but looked great, and a t-shirt that had been very deliberately ordered a few sizes too small in addition to leaving his midriff bare. "I'll do that after I get his attention properly."

Steve was sitting in the common room Tony had designed for the team and sketching. He glanced up the moment Tony strolled in and stared. "Tony?" 

"Yes?"

Steve looked him up and down once. Then again. "Are you trying to tell me something?"

Smart man. That was one of his best qualities. "Maybe I am."

" _What_ are you trying to tell me?"

Tony smirked at Steve, enjoying himself, and stepped right up to him. As he did, Steve set aside his sketchbook and pencils. His hands came up to rest on Tony's hips, broad, strong, and warm.

"Can't you guess?" Tony asked him archly, settling himself in Steve's lap, on his knees with his legs spread shamelessly wide so that he could straddle those well muscled thighs.

"Don't wanna guess wrong," Steve told him. "Done that a few times already when it mattered, where you're concerned."

"Alright," Tony accepted that without argument, "then I'm going to very plainly and explicitly invite you into my bed, with the express purpose of having a lot of sex." 

Steve went red, but Tony could feel the interested jolt that went through him. "What?" Steve asked him hoarsely, "now?"

"You bet your ass I mean now."

Without another word Steve shifted his grip and simply stood, hoisting Tony up onto his hip and carrying him to the elevator.

"Okay, I knew you could do that, but it's still stupidly hot," Tony told him, and got a very pleased smirk. Tony could tell Steve was planning something, but didn't have a chance to do anything about it. He made an embarrassingly high pitched sound when those strong fingers dared dip a fraction lower to tease very deliberately at the almost nonexistent inseam of his shorts.

"Good." Steve replied, and Tony saw his eyes go a little darker. "Did you have something specific in mind that you wanted?"

"Nope, wrong question," Tony retorted. "The first thing you ask is what _not_ to do."

Steve chuckled at him, resting his forehead against Tony's collarbone for a moment, then pulled back far enough to meet his eyes again. "So what should I avoid, then?"

"Luckily for you, most of those things don't come up in the bedroom," Tony answered, tightening his legs around Steve's waist as the elevator doors opened with a quiet ping. "They're not that sexy anyway. We can talk about them later." _If at all._ Tony took a breath, then added, "For now, just don't put any weight on my chest if you can avoid it."

Steve's eyes were serious for a moment. "I'm holding you to that. Later. I meant it when I said I wanted to do this right."

Tony rolled his eyes at the ridiculous dork. "The bedroom's just over there," he said, a broad hint in his tone. "Now your turn. Tell me what not to do."

The demand got a shrug. "I don't know. Never got far enough with anyone else for that to matter."

"Wait. Are you telling me you've never been with anyone?" Tony stared at him.

"Yes?" Steve looked unsure for a beat, then set his jaw determinedly.

Tony laughed at him as Steve pushed open his bedroom door and set him carefully on his feet. "Boy, do I have a lot to show you, capsicle."

Steve pointedly looked over Tony's shoulder at the bed, refusing to be embarrassed any further. "Well, you can start by explaining what exactly those things you've got prepared are."

That was promising. Steve had never been overly tech shy, but Tony had seen him pick and choose what he wanted to learn very carefully. It had taken Steve a day to ask for a cell phone and a manual after the Chitauri Invasion, using that to learn about social media and how the internet worked. He'd waited far longer to accept Tony's repeated offers to get him a drawing tablet or a stylus compatible with the holographic interfaces throughout the Tower. Even now that he'd accepted them, he only rarely used them.

Turning to his bed and sitting on the edge of the mattress, Tony picked up one of the vibes, a slender bullet about the length of his middle finger with a shiny metal casing. He turned it over in his hands few times, keeping his expression more or less contemplative. "Well, Steve," he said as he twisted it until it was on its lowest setting then picked up Steve's hand and dropped it onto Steve's palm, "try this on for size."

Steve jumped a little at the feeling, then hefted it and twisted at it like he'd seen Tony do, learning what that did. "And what exactly is this for?"

"Want me to show you?" Tony offered. "Hands on demonstrations are usually best for these sorts of toys."

Steve went a little pink, but considered that. "What does that entail?"

"Well, you don't have to strip down if you don't want to, but I'd recommend it. Coming in your pants is never a good plan." 

Steve made a face at him. "Classy, Stark."

"What?" Tony grinned at him unrepentantly. "You asked. Anyway. The idea is to take the toy and do whatever feels good with it. Use it on whatever body part you want and however you want. This one's not designed for internal use, though, so if you want to try that I'll have to use a different vibe."

"Internal meaning on you or on me?" Steve asked, eyeing the sleek bullet vibe.

"Either or." Tony replied, appreciating the creativity that question implied, and picked up the bottle of lube he'd grabbed just in case, offering it to Steve. "You know how gay sex works, right?"

Steve went even pinker than before and hesitated long enough that Tony nodded, guessing the truth. "Think about it. There're only one or two options for insertion. For now, I guess we're keeping things simpler."

"Meaning what, exactly?"

Tony looked him over once from head to toe, letting his eyes linger on the bulge Steve's hard cock made in his pants. "Meaning I'm going to peel you out of those pants and show you just how nice using a vibrator can feel, if you're up for that. On you or on me."

"Or both?" Steve offered, looking like he was back on firmer mental footing.

"Or both." Tony was pretty sure Steve could hear the glee in his voice. "You first. And if you want to stop you need to tell me."

He reached for Steve's pants and undid the button and zipper without making a big show out of it. He could tease Steve another time. Steve startled at the bold move, and his hands came up to grip Tony's elbows, but he didn't ask Tony to stop. Moving on, he started working the clothes down over Steve's hips, and after a beat, Steve reached down and slipped his hands under the fabric, keeping it from catching on his cock and making their removal easier.

Tony took the opportunity to peel off Steve's boring white cotton boxers as well, and decided he was going to see if he could convince Steve to try on something a bit more daring. Maybe something in blue silk.

When Steve's cock bobbed up to stand metaphorically tall, roughly at eye height since Steve was still standing in front of him, Tony licked his lips. Hot damn. Clearing his throat, he asked, "you want to try this for yourself, or should I experiment a bit?"

Steve considered that for a moment, then shoved the vibrator he held back at Tony. "You do it."

"Take off your shirt, then," Tony suggested, turning the vibe over in his hands a couple of times.

"Rather take yours off," Steve muttered, but he did. Once he'd stripped it off in one smooth motion and dropped it to fall onto the floor, he went down to one knee and his hands came up to slide up the length of Tony's thighs until they rested over his hips.

Toying with the hem of his shirt with his free hand, Tony enjoyed the shiver that went up his spine at the touch. He held Steve's eyes and set the vibe down on the mattress before he started peeling his tight t-shirt off. The hands on his hips slid higher with every inch of skin that he revealed, sending waves of goosebumps up and down his arms.

When Steve's fingertips hit the band of the bra they stumbled, and Steve stared at him in stunned surprise, as though he hadn't expected Tony to be wearing one. Truth be told, he hated them but Pepper had been right about needing them. He still occasionally thought he ought to design a better one.

Shaking off the thought, he pulled the shirt over his head and grinned at Steve. "See something you like?"

"You-- I-- _Yes._ " Steve stuttered, stood, and used his superior bodyweight to tumble Tony to the bed. "Never took you for someone who liked lace."

Laughing, Tony let him, rolling them so that he was on top, straddling those lovely legs again. Twisting until he could undo the fasteners of the bra, he kept his eyes on Steve, watching the look of stunned surprise melt back into want. "I don't," he replied, enjoying himself, "but it looks nice."

"No kidding." Steve manhandled him until he was lying on top of Steve's broad chest and started working the tiny excuses for shorts off Tony's hips.

Ready to be rid of them, Tony helped. "You like lingerie, then," he guessed.

"More interested in what's under it," Steve told him as the shorts hit his knees.

Tony snickered at him and slid his thong down his legs, himself. "There. Better?"

"Not yet."

"Right," Tony picked up the vibe again and switched it back on. He let it buzz in his hand for a moment, then touched it to Steve's flank, making the man jump out of his skin and getting the most amazing startled yelp for his troubles. Steve glared at him and Tony grinned back. "Not good?" He asked shifting the vibe slightly.

Steve squirmed. "Tony," he said, his voice a bit higher pitched than normal, "what--?"

"Thought you said I should experiment," Tony replied, feeling a jolt of arousal zing up his spine at the sight.

"I did, but--" Steve's words cut off and bled into a whine when Tony moved the vibe again, this time letting it rest over a nipple.

"But?" Tony felt Steve's hands came back up to grip his hips tightly, and saw Steve's cock twitch. "Hmm, bit sensitive?"

Steve bit his lip, but said nothing. His hands moved up from Tony's hips to linger at his waist for a beat then slide higher until they cupped his ample tits. The way Steve's callouses caught at his skin made Tony's body go tense and he couldn't stop from making a quiet groan of his own.

Deciding to go whole hog, he palmed the vibe and pressed its whole length against Steve's cock, getting an almost pained shout in response. Steve all but curled up around the source of the sensation, and Tony heard the way Steve's breath suddenly hissed through clenched teeth. "Tony! Oh God!"

Leaning in to kiss Steve, since the movement had conveniently put him in reach, Tony felt more than heard the groan that resonated in Steve's chest as he threw himself into the kiss and came.

When they broke apart, Steve let himself fall to the bed, breath coming fast, but he stayed hard and didn't ask Tony to take the vibe away. Tony watched him, squirming as his own arousal overwhelmed his ability to hold still, wondering how long that state of affairs would last.

Not long, as it turned out.

Steve reached down without a word after a few seconds, took the vibe, and eyed Tony. "You want to tell me what you like?"

"We'd be here a while," Tony answered. "If there are no objections, I'm going to ride you while you experiment."

Steve made another sound that bordered on pained and his cock twitched. "That what you want?"

"What I want, Steve, is for a lot of orgasms to happen. Preferably to both of us." Tony grabbed the condom he'd tossed on the bed next to the toys, then scooped the rest of the jumble back into his nightstand.

Judging by how quickly Steve was up for round two, they might need a few more rubbers.

That in and of itself was an amazing thought to be having.


	4. Chapter 4

Things normalised for a while after they'd finally gotten their acts together. They even went out on a few dates with Tony wearing his feminine shape to keep as much of a lid on their relationship as they could, and otherwise generally let the dust settle. The tabloids, predictably, had screamed for days about the unknown brunette Steve was dating.

Tony hadn't cared about the media reaction, though. He'd had higher priorities. In the aftermath of the Chitauri Invasion, SHIELD had scrambled to keep a lid on all of the alien tech, and they had helped with that effort. It had left them scrambling from one mission to the next more often than any of them liked, but the fragile peace that had fallen after the Invasion had gradually stabilised, bit by tiny bit.

As they'd run said missions, Tony had kept a wary eye on the SHIELD servers, through JARVIS; given what he'd found there the first time, he wasn't about to leave the organisation unsupervised. The odds were damned good that SHIELD would try to pull similar bullshit again if they thought they could get away with it.

It had taken him and JARVIS a couple of tries to get back into the system, since SHIELD had closed the loopholes he'd exploited for his initial hack. But this time, he didn't intend to call any attention to what he had done. Unlike the first time, when it had been to his advantage to let Fury know exactly how much he knew about Phase 2.

In the end, he'd found nothing for a good six months, but then mentions of a man with a metal arm had started cropping up. Recent sightings, and suspected kills. There had been a list of those in the server image he'd initially had JARVIS sort through, but they'd not been given priority at the time. Now... Now Tony's curiosity got the better of him.

He followed the list as it grew and kept an eye on the theories the SHIELD analysts spun about the guy who was supposedly behind all the kills on the remarkably long list. They called him the Winter Soldier, for whatever weird reason. It was a poetic name, and seemed a bit too nice for an assassin.

There were no photos of the guy, though. Not even blurry CCTV captures.

Also intriguing and vaguely worrying were the occasional mentions of something called 'Project Insight' that kept cropping up, but those were so classified even his hacked Director-level clearance didn't grant him access to the files. Which begged the question: if not even Director Fury had access to those files, who did?

He was jerked out of his thoughts by a familiar pair of well-muscled arms going around his waist. Steve's warm breath feathered against his ear and neck as Tony found himself pulled back against his lover's chest. "Still trawling SHIELD?"

"No reason not to do that while I wait for JARVIS to run the ridiculous number of simulations he insists on for new iterations of the suit," Tony pointed out, relaxing into Steve's hold. "You come down here for a reason?"

"Nah, just wanted to get my hands on you."

Laughing, Tony reached up and tangled one hand in Steve's hair. The man was ridiculously tactile. It had taken Tony a while to get used to that. Before Steve had fallen into his life, Tony had been used to just going through his day with a minimum of physical contact with anyone. He'd occasionally gotten hugs from Pepper or Rhodey, but that had been about the extent of it. After they'd decided to give the relationship thing a shot, Steve had started seeking him out at random intervals, just to touch him. At first, Tony had been confused by it and very twitchy and it had taken him a while to acclimate. Now he was a lot better at accepting the affectionate gestures Steve seemed to crave giving.

"Find anything interesting?" Steve asked him after a few seconds, breaking him out of his thoughts.

"Hmm," Tony shrugged, feeling Steve adjust for the movement without letting go, "I'm not sure. It's definitely weird, though."

"Weird enough that we need to look into it?"

"Possibly. There are files I can't get into without revealing that I'm in the system, and the references that are made to them make it sound like they might be important."

"Keep an eye on it for now, and we'll deal with it if it becomes immediately relevant." Steve decided. "No sense in worrying about it until we know we have to."

Tony wasn't sure he agreed with that particular approach, but he let it go for the moment. He could keep an active eye out for more clues. "That's not the only weird thing, Steve," he added after a beat. "SHIELD is keeping a file on some guy they're calling the Winter Soldier."

"And who's that, exactly?"

"They don't know, but he's apparently an assassin with a list of alleged kills longer than my arm, some dating back to the 50's. It's bizarre, insane, and impossible."

"And we deal in the bizarre, insane, and impossible. What's SHIELD's analyst team have to say about him? And why haven't we heard about him until now?"

Tony snorted derisively. "Nothing solid," he grumbled. "A bunch of contradicting theories. The only thing they all agree on is that this Winter Soldier couldn't possibly have made all the kills attributed to him. For it to be the same person, he'd have to be as old as you in actual years, and we both know that a 90 year old assassin with a metal arm is not likely to exist. Even if he was still alive at that age and had a metal arm, the thing would either break his shoulder and collarbone or make him unable to stand. So their theory is that it's similar to a hereditary title where the previous Winter Soldier's best protege takes up the title. But to me that makes even less sense, because then they'd have to somehow adjust that metal arm for each new Winter Soldier and there's no real benefit to keeping an identifying feature that distinctive." Tony paused for a beat and shrugged. "The lack of solid information is probably why we were never told, but this is Nick Fury we're talking about. His secrets have secrets."

Steve made a noncommittal sound. "So what do you propose to do?"

"For now? Nothing."

The statement got him a disbelieving huff and Steve's arms tightened around him. "Really."

"There's nothing I _can_ do, Steve. Until and unless I can track this Winter Soldier down and catch him in the act -- or SHIELD does -- all I have are useless half-assed guesses."

"You're looking for him, then?"

"I am, Captain," JARVIS put in, "but I do not expect immediate results. Analysis of the dates and locations of the alleged assassinations show sporadic activity at best. It may be the case that the Winter Soldier appears tomorrow or it may be the case that he is not seen for several years. Based on his recent levels of activity as determined by SHIELD, I would estimate that he will remain silent for some time."

\------

JARVIS had been wrong about the Winter Soldier, Tony thought to himself with a dark scowl on his face.

When Tony had learned that the helicarrier upgrades SHIELD had contracted him for were going to be used for Project Insight -- which was both an appalling breach of the Geneva Convention and of the contract SHIELD had signed -- he'd gone to see Fury with Steve and three of his best lawyers at his back. He'd gotten out of the weapons industry for good, and his word was final. For SHIELD to use his upgrades to put in place a system that could kill indiscriminately was the biggest breach of contract Tony could imagine.

While he was in the process of handing Fury a copy of the lawsuit he intended to slap the whole organization with, though, everything went sideways.

The power in the entire building went out and stayed out.

Shit.

"What the fuck, Stark," Fury started swearing at him. "Turn the power back on, _now_."

"Wasn't me," he said simply and turned to Steve, who was surveying the office and the corridor outside intently. "Cap, we need to get the building evacuated, if that's not already in motion."

With a nod, Steve was gone. Presumably to pull a fire alarm or something. Tony pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and stepped over to the panel of light switches tucked discreetly beside the door. "J, help me out here," he requested.

Static answered him and it was Tony's turn to swear. "I hope you've got an escape plan, Fury," he said, "'cause it looks like someone's out to get you, me, or Cap." Catching his lawyers' terrified eyes, he added, "You all get full hazard pay for this."

Fury growled something under his breath. "Might be all three of us that they're after," he replied, raising his voice a little. "If we can get to the stairwell next to the elevator and then to the roof, I can get us out of here."

"Take the lawyers with you and get the fuck out of here, then. I'm backing up Cap. This is more than just a brown out."

"Stark?"

Tony raised an eyebrow at Fury. There was very little love lost between them, but they did respect one another's abilities. "What?"

"Be careful. Anyone who could get past the security measures around the electrical systems of this building either has their fingers on a blueprint somehow or is damn good at what they do." Fury gave him a nod, then strode out of his office, his coat flaring behind him, and the lawyers scurried in his wake, still looking terrified.

Stepping out of Fury's office, Tony stopped short. At one end of the corridor, Fury was herding his lawyers into the stairwell. At the other, Steve was facing down a ridiculously built guy with a metal arm. Carefully not moving towards Steve -- he didn't want to break the stalemate that Steve seemed to have achieved with the guy despite not being in uniform or carrying his shield -- Tony considered his options.

He could put on the suit and make a break for the building's breaker box (unlikely to succeed without breaking the tableau). He could put on the suit and go charging in to Steve's defense (if this was truly the Winter Soldier, that was very likely to get them both injured or killed). Or he could stay put and make sure that the Winter Soldier didn't go after Fury and his lawyers (probably the best option).

The Winter Soldier's eyes were locked on Steve's, as near as Tony could tell through the mask and goggles the guy wore. The rest of him was decked out in black leather and body armour. He was also built like a concrete wall and looked like he could charge right through one if he wanted, the way he planted his feet.

"What are you after?" Steve asked the Winter Soldier with an air that said he'd likely repeated the question a few times.

Silence answered him, and the Winter Soldier shifted his weight slightly.

Reading the tiny tell and reacting, Steve was there, blocking the guy's attack on Tony almost before he was in motion. Frustrated, he turned on Steve instead, a pair of knives suddenly flashing in the dim light as he unsheathed them.

The sight kicked Tony into action. He keyed his suitcase suit open, wishing Steve had brought his uniform and shield, and stepped into it as it unfolded. He felt his body shift and ignored the way his tits suddenly pressed against his clothes and the chestplate of the armour in favor of interposing himself between Steve and their attacker.

"Cap asked you a question," he said, letting the armour's voice modulator turn it into a growl, as he raised his hands and powered up his repulsors.

Instead of replying, the Winter Soldier simply charged him, no fear at all in the set of his shoulders. Tony made a startled sound and dodged left, firing as he went. The Winter Soldier blocked it with his metal arm, and the shot turned into a bright flash that probably blinded Steve. As he took another shot, noting that the first hadn't done more than leave a small scorch mark on the metal, Tony raised his opinion of the man's abilities a few notches; anyone with reflexes that fast was probably as good as he was or better. Possibly as good as Steve.

On the other hand, he revised his estimation of the Winter Soldier's willingness to give fucks down to zero when the man charged him again, knives at the ready, and drove him backward down the hallway by dint of the sheer ferocity of his attack, for all that knives wouldn't be very effective against his armour.

Catching the man's hands in his own and using the opportunity to force the Winter Soldier to drop one of the knives, Tony gritted his teeth against the strength brought to bear against him. "Not gonna answer us?"

Peripherally, Tony noticed Steve shooing some civilians back into the stairwell, but his focus was more or less concentrated on the Winter Soldier, who was still trying to force Tony's arms down.

A beat later, the guy changed tactics. He leaned back, pulling Tony momentarily off balance, then, in a show of his strength, used a judo throw to haul Tony off his feet and send him sprawling on the floor, slightly dazed.

"Well, okay. I wasn't expecting that," Tony mumbled to himself as he started picking himself up. Before he could complete the motion, the Winter Soldier had his weight firmly planted over Tony's center of mass, and was tearing at the armour protecting his head and neck. "Oh no, no no no."

Tony scrambled to get those hands away from his face, and failed.

Metal fingers found purchase at the edges of his faceplate and _pulled_. Before Tony could react, the faceplate came free with a ping that resonated through the rest of his helmet, and suddenly he was staring into the Winter Soldier's face.

Silence fell in the hallway for a beat, and then the Winter Soldier finally spoke. "... how?"


	5. Chapter 5

After that initial encounter it had taken them a couple more run-ins with the guy, spread over the course of a few hours, to really get a good hit in on the Winter Soldier. All it had done was force the man to remove the mask and goggles covering his face, but Steve's reaction had been its own kind of devastating. "Bucky?" He'd asked, his voice full of stunned surprise and crushing sorrow.

"Who the hell is Bucky?" The Winter Soldier had spat, blank anger underlying the words, and then kicked Steve off a rooftop, forcing Tony to go catch the moron.

Oddly, after their initial encounter, the Soldier had proven reluctant to attack Tony, though he had no qualms about throwing himself headlong at Steve. Why that was, both of them were at a loss to figure out.

Over the course of the two days that had passed since the Soldier had first attacked them -- they had probably chanced to stumble into him during in a bid to take out Fury, Steve theorised -- the Black Widow and some guy calling himself the Falcon had joined them in their pursuit of the guy. Widow had had a reaction similar to Steve's on first seeing the guy's face, but had kept very tight lipped about the reason for it.

In the aftermath of that last encounter, which had left Steve so shaken, they'd found out just what Project Insight had been intended to do, and Tony hadn't been able to see straight in his rage. He'd torn off, ignoring the others shouting at him to wait and plan. Remembering his first meeting with Steve, standing in the belly of the quinjet as they'd tried halfheartedly to find their stride as a team, Tony had almost smiled; Steve had said pretty much the same thing then.

There was no _time_ to argue and hash out a plan, though. He needed to get to those helicarriers and disable them, yesterday.

\------

Sitting next to the hospital bed Steve had gotten his ass poured into, Tony shoved a hand through his greasy, grimy hair and bit back a sigh. The idiot had refused to take no for an answer and followed Tony into the not-so-metaphorical jaws of death. In the process, they'd succeeded in disabling the helicarriers, yeah, but Steve had nearly gotten himself killed, and it was mostly Tony's fault.

"We're going to have a long talk when you wake up," Tony told his unconscious lover, wincing at the sight of the bad bruising and the bandages covering most of his torso, visible even through the hospital gown.

Steve's eyes didn't open in response, much as Tony wished they would and nevermind just how Hollywood cheesy that would have been.

Not even Steve could recover that quickly, after all. He'd be here a few days as his concussion healed, and then possibly a few more to make sure his lungs had dried out properly and his cracked ribs and fractured ankle were stable enough for him to leave.

Tony had resolved to give all his lover's gear a once over and upgrade the hell out of it the moment they were home in the Tower. Until then he didn't intend to leave Steve's side. Pepper would understand. He'd stayed in his armour until he'd shifted masculine again, and only registered the passing of time because of that shift. It was hard to believe so much had happened in under 24 hours. After another few hours he'd removed the helmet so he could get some fresher air than his filters were giving him.

"Stark," the Widow called to him some indeterminate length of time later, making him jump. He hadn't heard her approach.

Giving her a glare, he turned to face her. "A little warning would be nice," he grumbled. "I have a heart condition."

"You're exaggerating," she informed him with a slight hint of a smile, as if she knew his medical records better than he did. He had to admit that was possible, given her abilities. He'd only recently gotten the arc reactor removed, though, and was still feeling the lingering aftereffects as he healed. Tony resisted the urge to rub at the scarring. Sobering, Widow went on, "Now that SHIELD is in tatters and their new helicarriers are so much tangled wreckage, we will have to be very careful."

"I know, I know," Tony groaned. "Political backlash, economic instability, yadda yadda. This shit happens after every internal disaster. Happened after 9/11, and Katrina, and it'll happen again now."

"That," she replied with a tilt of her head that signified agreement, "and the reactions of all of the fringe groups that SHIELD was keeping under control until now. There will be a lot of international fires to put out, as well."

Tony huffed at her. "I'll leave that to you and Legolas. I'll have enough to do keeping that infodump of yours from turning the entirety of the U.S. Government against us and ending in them branding us traitors. Maybe once Steve is back on his feet, you can enlist him to help you with that."

\------

Later that night, when all the lights in the hospital were out except for a few at the nurses' stations, as Tony debated whether he should finally shuck his armour and sleep, a quiet scrape of cloth against brick got his attention.

Before he could stand to investigate, the window was jimmied open, and a silhouette appeared in the space for a bare second. Then Tony heard the thump of a body hitting the floor and rolling.

Silently as he could, he moved to block the guy's access to the door. Steve might still be down for the count, but that meant that whoever had broken in was either after Steve -- in which case Tony would tackle him through the wall if need be -- or just happened to break into the wrong window in an attempt to reach someone else.

The intruder spotted him immediately, of course; the armour wasn't built with stealth in mind. Standing, he faced Tony squarely, and then his body language did something strange. Confusion all but radiated off the lines of his shoulders and the slight tilt of his head. And that, weirdly, was what made everything fall into place for Tony even though he still couldn't see the guy properly.

"Back for more, Soldier?" Tony demanded, watching carefully for any indication that this guy would attack, wary that this might be some kind of ruse. There was no question in Tony's mind that their visitor was armed.

The Winter Soldier stared at him for a minute. "My head's playing tricks on me again," he muttered.

Those words, coming from the guy who had previously acted like he was a robot with nothing more than orders to execute... Tony was suddenly sure there was a lot more going on here than met the eye. "Tricks?" He asked carefully, "what tricks?"

"Well, I got no idea what's goin' on," he replied, "but nothin' I do will stop the Asset from yelling at me. And I thought there was a dame in that suit."

Tony raised an eyebrow at him before he realised the guy probably wouldn't see it in the darkness of the hospital room. "Tell you what," he offered. "You tell me what you think is going on, and I'll see what I can do to fill in the blanks."

\------

In the end it took a week to get Steve fully back on his feet and about three more before the medics would clear him for any kind of physical exertion. They had their hands full enforcing their decision.

Tony didn't tell Steve about the midnight visit from their (at this point possibly former) enemy, knowing that if he did, Steve would be out of bed and hunting down the guy without giving a flying fuck about his lingering injuries, Tony and the medics trying to keep him from hurting himself again, the law, and probably the entirety of the US Armed Forces.

It took a lot longer to get Bucky more or less into his right mind, and Tony was at his wits' end dealing with both of them long before they succeeded in achieving any of those goals.

After their initial little chat, Bucky had disappeared again, silently vanishing back out the window, and didn't return for several days. When he did, he'd seemed somehow simultaneously calmer and more haunted. Tony suspected that trend would continue for a while.

A day after Bucky's return to the hospital room, a week after they'd dropped the helicarriers into the Potomac, Steve was back on his feet, and though he continued to limp a little for a few days after that, he was mostly fine. The calls from the Senate for a public hearing and from the city of DC for a lawsuit continued more or less unabated throughout that week.

On Steve's insistence, the next time they called him Tony'd agreed to show up to the hearing once Steve was recovered enough to walk and to stand on his own for the lengths of time required. It took a lot of yelling before they settled on a date and time that was marginally acceptable to both sides. He and Steve would have three days and a few hours to prepare themselves, once the phone call ended.

A day before they were due to testify and try to pull their own asses out of the fire, Barnes appeared again. Tony was convinced that was because he'd been keeping tabs on the news, which was currently flooded with speculation about what they were going to say and had been for several news cycles. CNN in particular kept harping on the topic, as though there was no other news worth reporting.

Steve had been caught between wariness and elation when Barnes had hesitantly stepped into the hospital room they'd been about to leave in favor of the nearby Baltimore hotel room Tony had booked them so that they'd have a place to shower and shave and generally make themselves presentable. Barnes had stood there, silent, until Steve took a careful step forward.

"Bucky?" Steve asked him quietly, swallowing back a torrent of words and visibly forcing himself not to rush over and wrap the guy up in a bear hug, "Is that you, jerk?"

Barnes growled something under his breath. "No, but I'm not the Asset anymore, either. And you are not going to that trial without me."

Tony snorted. "Yeah, I don't think so. You're not in a position to dictate terms, here, pal. First, what do you want us to call you? James?"

"I don't really give a damn, but fine. That's acceptable." James tried to stare him down.

Tony stood his ground. "Fine. James. I'll grant you that Steve has a habit of taking hits he doesn't have to. But that doesn't mean that you joining us on the floor of what is effectively a joint Senate-Military tribunal will help anyone a damn bit."

James didn't give up his laser-like stare, totally ignoring Steve, who looked like he wanted desperately to butt in but didn't quite dare for fear that James would leave. James eventually asked, "So?"

"So you'll help most by staying the hell away and letting me handle the spin," Tony told him. "I've been doing this shit for decades." He debated bringing up the reason why he'd been doing it for so long, then dismissed that as counterproductive. "If you insist on following us, here's my take: you spend the night at the hotel with us, then get on the jet with us in the morning. And then you will damned well sit your ass down and wait there while we handle the legal bullshit. Oh, and if you see any of my lawyers, don't say a word to them. I mean that. Several of them'll be testifying alongside us, so it's best if they don't even know you're there for a bunch of legal reasons. But it doesn't really help that you scared three of them out of their wits the first time we ran into you at SHIELD HQ."

James scowled darkly. "Wasn't my idea."

"We know," Tony acknowledged that. "But it'll be easier for us to get the government off our case if we don't add the complication of your change of heart and your recovery of your agency into the equation. We can address that later when we're on a more solid footing where public opinion is concerned. And then they also can't call us on trial for this mess a second time."

"They'll try. They'll find something." James said flatly.

Tony nodded. "I know. But, luckily, I'm Tony Stark."


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. I hope all of you have had as much fun with this as I have. It's been a blast chatting with all of you in the comments!
> 
> But, sadly, all good things must come to an end sometime. Final chapter and epilogue will go up on this coming Friday. Stay tuned for the thrilling conclusion!
> 
> (Well, okay, it's smut. The smutty conclusion.)

James, somewhat to Tony's surprise and Steve's not so well hidden relief, didn't leave. He didn't verbally agree to stay on the quinjet, either, but he didn't leave.

The night passed quietly. Well. Relatively. Quiet by post-Iron Man standards.

They got out of the hospital without incident, leaving by a side door and sliding directly into one of Tony's limos. It was one with darkly tinted windows and every manner of defense mechanism that Tony could design into it, and he watched James catalogue all of the visible systems. No one said a word until they got to the hotel room, where Pepper met them with ill-concealed relief. She threw her arms around Tony's neck and just clung to him, shaking, unable to find words to yell at him. Steve took the opportunity to step up behind her and wrap his arms around them both. James slunk past them and into the lavish bathroom while Pepper was distracted.

In her usual hyperefficient manner, Pepper had brought suits for both of them, paperwork that Tony needed to sign, a tablet for him, and instructions for both of them from the lawyers. Tony had no intention of reading them, but knew Steve would. He could get the precis from his boyfriend later. For now, all he wanted was a shower hot enough to scald his skin off and a chance to catch up on the sleep he'd missed while he stood guard over Steve.

Pepper vanished just as abruptly as she'd appeared, hurrying off to deal with the next fire that had sprung up in her absence. That had left Tony feeling oddly off balance in a way that the rest of the day hadn't.

He ignored it as best he could. Sending Steve to pry James back out of the bathroom, Tony heard the shower start running as he quickly skimmed through the paperwork and signed what needed signing -- he knew Pepper would go through the fine print and deal with potential issues, so he let himself deal with the big picture impact -- then picked up his tablet and opened up the design file on his memory projector system.

He only had a few minutes' time to tweak it before Steve herded James back out into the open area of the suite, wearing a towel around his hips, still wet, and scowling.

"Shower's free," Steve told him, and started bullying James into a pair of soft sleep pants. Tony couldn't help the way he stared. Steve was a handful in bed and it wasn't like their sex life had lacked much of anything in the months since they'd gotten together, but hot damn. James was built, and moved with an unconscious grace that reminded him strongly of Steve. They were both aware of their bodies in that way only very experienced fighters were.

And Tony, well. Tony was happily taken, but impulse control had never been his strong suit.

Shaking off the slight reverie, he got to his feet and sauntered into the bathroom. A hint of steam still lingered in the air. He turned on the water and stepped under it almost immediately, letting it wash over his back and beat some of the tension out of his shoulders. It took him a while to find the energy to do more than stand there, feeling suddenly tired and worn thin.

He decided to leave the task of cleaning up his stubble for after he'd rested. Drying off his body and toweling his hair, Tony took a breath before he opened the door and stepped out into the much cooler air of the bedroom.

James lay on the floor, his head resting on a wadded up towel and a folded blanket under him to pad the floor a little. He was still scowling, though the expression had softened somewhat.

Steve lay sprawled on the bed in nothing but a tight scrap of white cotton that passed for a pair of boxers, and looked up when Tony came into the room. "Feeling better?"

Tony made a face in reply. "Not really, but I'm clean."

"Come here," Steve held out a hand in invitation, as though his words hadn't been enough of a hint. "You need to get some rest."

James made a sound that approximated a laugh. "Shut up and go to sleep," he grumbled. "You both talk too much."

Steve huffed at James, and took Tony's hand when he came within reach. It took them a few seconds to arrange themselves comfortably on the bed, and a few more before Tony's eyes were falling shut.

Having James in the room should have made Tony wary. Should have left him too edgy to sleep, but oddly, it didn't. He distantly heard Steve's voice rumble in the dark of the night a few times, but it never quite woke him, and a long blink later Steve was leisurely kissing him awake.

They shaved and dressed in companionable silence as James looked on and crammed himself back into his tac gear. It came time for them to get to the quinjet a few minutes later. Tony wasn't really looking forward to dealing with the Senate or the Armed Forces, but there was little choice. They boarded the craft and stashed James in the cockpit with the pilot. Tony's pilot was luckily used to far weirder, so he said nothing about the very intimidating guy that was deposited in the copilot's seat with no warning.

When they took their stands, it was with a small army of Tony's lawyers backing them up and advising them. They'd sunk the helicarriers in the Potomac just over ten days ago. The realisation of just how fast everything had happened made Tony's head spin a little. The three lawyers that had witnessed the first attack had joined them in the back of the jet, and did so again on the floor of the trial. It had taken some more persuasion but James eventually agreed to stay on the jet. He had still wanted to enter the building with them, despite everything they'd discussed at the hospital, and Tony had wondered about the motive behind that. All of them knew James' skill in disappearing was excellent, but Tony didn't want to risk the man getting discovered before they were ready. That time Steve had backed Tony up; it was never wise to tempt fate if you didn't have to.

The trio of lawyers gave their own testimony, supporting Tony and Steve, while the rest of the law team Tony had flown in did the actual work of arguing their case, and putting together the countersuit. The PR team spun everyone’s words for all they were worth.

It was a hard-won victory -- one more of many -- but eventually they walked out of the room free men.

They would probably have to go through this one more time once they revealed that James had recovered and sought them out, but for now they could let things ride.

When they finally staggered out of the large hall, both of them worn down and tired out by the experience, they found James waiting for them on the quinjet, his impatience and worry manifesting in anxious pacing. 

The trip back to New York was thankfully short, and then Tony turned James loose on the Tower to learn its ins and outs. Steve had made sure he knew where all the entrances and exits were on his first day in the building, and Tony had no doubt that James would do the same.

Over the next ten weeks, in between the missions he and Steve ran to help SHIELD mop up the mess in DC and the HYDRA cells that had been flushed out of hiding, James slowly uncurled in a way that was almost physical. Rather to Tony's surprise, the guy had become fast friends with JARVIS, and the two of them helped Steve tag team him into spending less time in the workshop and more time in bed. Disappointingly, though, there wasn't nearly as much sex involved as Tony might have wanted.

Then, too, every time he showed up in the armour, female, and let JARVIS strip it off him, though, James' eyes would linger. Once Tony had heard him mutter something about Steve having all the luck.

Asking Steve what was up when Steve showed up to cuddle him got Tony nowhere, either. Steve hummed at him and started kissing him instead, mumbling reassurances that Tony hadn't asked for.

He was starting to think that he might have to get very blunt and force Steve to talk this over with him, because what was happening was only raising more questions as the days went on.

\------

The day that James quietly told them to call him Bucky came and went without much outward fanfare. Steve was over the moon about it and took to spending even more time with Bucky. Tony... wasn't sure how to feel about it. It was good that Bucky was recovering well, but he missed Steve. A lot.

\------

Tony took his time preparing himself for the conversation he knew needed to happen. It was just... he didn't want to think about the possibility that, now that Steve had his best friend back and Bucky had been staring at Tony, Steve might well have decided to break things off. 

Sure it sounded dumb, but weirder things had happened, and people in general were very dumb. He'd thought Steve was smarter than average, but he'd proven to have some very big blind spots, and one of the biggest was his best friend, Bucky fucking Barnes.

When Tony finally made himself track Steve down, though, things went in a very unexpected direction. His lover had been sitting in the common room and reading some paperback Tony could give less of a damn about, which had made him easy to find. The moment Steve spotted him, he looked up with a smile, then did a bit of a double take at the serious expression Tony knew he probably wore. "Tony? Is something wrong?"

"You tell me," Tony shot back. "You've been a bit distant lately."

Steve winced and stared down at his hands. "I've had a lot to think about."

"A lot which seems to mean you don't want me anymore."

Apparently startled by that, Steve's head shot up. "What? No!"

The knee-jerk reaction reassured Tony a little and he shoved his hands in his pockets to keep from picking at his clothes or fidgeting. "What is it, then?"

Steve took a deep breath, closed his eyes for a beat, then stared Tony down and squared his jaw, clearly expecting to be hit or yelled at but resigned to that, and knowing that Tony wouldn't let this go. "Buck and I were stepping out... before. Where and when we could. Maybe it didn't get far, but I can't just turn off what I feel. I'm sure not going to throw away what we've built for ourselves, but I can't stop wanting him."

Whatever Tony had been prepared to hear, it sure as hell hadn't been that. Those words that came out of Steve's mouth... well, they left him feeling a bit like the floor had turned to sand and was shifting under his feet. "So what are you suggesting?"

It sure as fuck sounded like Captain fucking America was suggesting an open relationship or maybe a threesome. But there was no way... was there?

Steve relaxed slightly, apparently somewhat reassured by Tony's relative lack of reaction, angry or otherwise. "I have no idea how it would work," he said, "I didn't before the ice, and now things are even more confusing."

Tony raised an eyebrow at him. "How what would work?"

"I know how to use the internet, Tony," Steve grumbled at him, annoyed. "I know what a threesome is, and I know you've had any number. But Bucky... hasn't. That I know of."

Tony finally dared step over to him and pull the paperback out of Steve's hands, tossing it in the vague direction of the coffee table. "That's something you need to talk over with him," he responded, letting himself fall onto the sofa next to Steve and enjoying the way Steve's arm immediately went around him. "And, yeah, I've had a lot of threesomes, but none of them were in comparable situations. There was never anyone steady at the time, or the possibility of it becoming a stable poly relationship."

"I wouldn't blame you if you said no," Steve told him seriously.

"Okay, no. Stop there." Tony told him. "First, you'd be projecting your hangdog sadness and angst all over the place, if I did. Second, no man is totally proof against temptation, and I am the poster child for temptation. I've noticed the way Barnes has been staring at my ass. Third, well, he's hot and I could dig it. Hell of a lot of one-night stand potential there. But on a permanent basis? I don't know. I never knew him before, like you did, and I only barely know him now. Worse, he's not the same person you knew anymore. He might come close, but he's changed. And, I'd say, so have you. So all of the things you think you know might not apply anymore. We'd be walking into a fucking minefield without a map or a metal detector, Steve."

Steve sighed. "I know. That's most of what's been on my mind. But... Does that mean you'd try it?"

Steve sounded like he couldn't decide whether to be hopeful, frustrated, or confused. Tony could agree with the sentiment. "With the understanding that if it doesn't work, it ends? I could be persuaded," he replied after a moment that felt like it stretched into infinity.

When Steve let him go and stood without a word, striding off with a bounce in his step and purpose in every line of him, it was no big surprise. Tony'd already more or less figured out that Steve wanted to go for it, that Steve would put his whole self on the line for Bucky, as he always had, and make everything work through sheer force of will if he had to.

There was no doubt in Tony's mind that when Steve came back he'd have Bucky in tow.

Somewhat to his own surprise, he found himself looking forward to it.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And thus we come to the end of this little saga. Hope you've all enjoyed it.

Tony glanced up from the design he'd been half-heartedly toying with to pass the time when Steve came back into the common room, almost thirty minutes later, Bucky hard on his heels as expected. Tony suspiciously eyed the look of glee and anticipation Bucky wore.

"Okay," Tony said, drawing out the word and standing as Bucky approached him, "just what are you--"

His words cut off almost without volition when Bucky stepped right up into his personal space without any hesitation, and metal fingers landed on his jaw.

"Been wanting to try this almost since the first time I saw you," Bucky told him, and damned if that didn't give Tony pause.

"Before or after you got most of your memory back?" He asked, and saw Steve flinch slightly.

Bucky sniffed at him, mock offended. "Since I saw you standing guard over that dumbass," he replied, nodding at Steve.

Steve raised an eyebrow at them that both of them ignored. "That so." Tony smirked. "And what else do you want?"

"All kinds of things that I felt like a slimy cheat for thinkin' about the person Steve was with," Bucky admitted easily, and Tony could see why the guy had had a reputation for being a ladies man Before.

Everything about that sounded promising.

"Like what?" He challenged, wanting to hear it in words.

"This I've gotta hear," Steve put in. Tony thought Steve looked like he was torn between lust, anticipation, and awe.

"Well, for one," Bucky told Tony, catching and holding his eyes, "I want you to put that armour on and let me take you while you wear it."

Steve groaned and Tony gaped at Barnes for a beat. "That sounds ridiculously hot, and I am so down for that."

"But first," Bucky added, looking almost unbearably smug at the reaction that statement had gotten, "I thought Steve and I should take you to bed and wear you out. Get to know one another properly and enjoy the hell out of the process." The metal hand trailed down his neck and over his chest, leaving behind a trail of goosebumps and making Tony shiver. Bucky grinned at him. "Gotta pull out all the stops for the self-professed playboy, after all."

"Gave that lifestyle up years ago," Tony shot back, "and you know it. But I'm not opposed. Let's tango."

It was Bucky's turn to look surprised. "Just like that, huh."

"I like sex, and I definitely put out on the first date."

Steve snorted. "It took a lot of effort to get him to wait the three and a half weeks or so that we did," he told Bucky.

Tony shrugged.

Rather than reply verbally, Bucky considered that for a moment, then deftly tossed Tony over his shoulder and simply carried him off toward his own bedroom. Tony squirmed, the feeling of the metal shoulder digging into his gut not overly comfortable. "Hey, hey, whoa. I'm gonna need my armour if you want to do this properly."

"I thought we would do that another night."

Tony was tempted to roll his eyes. Bucky had been around long enough to know about the curse on him and how it worked. "Putting on the armour is what makes me go feminine for a while," he reminded Bucky's very pretty ass as he was carried off toward his own bedroom. "And I definitely want to see just how good you are with that mouth of yours."

He felt the jolt that the statement sent through Bucky, and heard the choked but very turned on sound that accompanied it. Steve laughed at them, but agreed eagerly. "Now that is something I've gotta see."

"You're on," Bucky told them both. "Get your armour, then, Stark."

"Not gonna use my name, sweetheart?" Tony verbally prodded at him.

"Maybe I wanted to see what you would do, Stark," Bucky replied, his tone light, and his smirk audible.

Tony growled at the asshole under his breath, getting a pleased chuckle in reply, and goosed Bucky. Bucky yelped satisfyingly and then slung Tony back off his shoulder, glaring at him.

Once he was on his feet, Tony caught Bucky's eyes and smirked wickedly back at him, pleased to note they were already in his bedroom. "I have to admit that I am definitely all over the bad boy look, Barnes," he quipped, "but smug is a step too far."

He took the two steps over to his suit, where it stood ready beside his door, keyed it open, and let it fold open around him. A moment later, he felt his body shift, and grinned, stripping the armour right back off with a few precise gestures.

Bucky watched him like a hungry man presented with a three course meal. Tony knew what an image he presented; his shirt was suddenly pulled tight over his chest, and with how turned on he already was, he could feel the light friction of the soft fabric over his nipples. Enjoying the feeling, Tony ran his hands over his now-familiar curves, cupping his own chest and drawing attention to the way it felt by giving voice to the quiet moan playing with his tits always seemed to pull free of him.

Steve laughed at his friend's intense focus. "You always did like 'em curvy."

Tony smoothed his hands down his front to the button and fly of his jeans, now hanging from his hips rather than his waist. As he toyed with the fastenings, he glanced up at Steve. His lover looked like he wanted to join in but couldn't decide whether to let Bucky have first go or claim it for himself.

"Damned right, I did," Bucky agreed, then added, "still do. So do you."

Tony sauntered over to Bucky, knowing he had a challenging look in his eyes. "You think you know what you're doing, hmm?"

"Come find out," Bucky invited him, not giving an inch in the face of the mild jab to his ego.

"Don't mind if I do."

Tony reached out and ran his hands up Bucky's torso, starting at the well-defined vee just level with his hip bone and sliding his hands under Bucky's shirt to trail them slowly up bare skin, rucking the fabric up as his hands moved higher.

After a moment, their eyes locked, and Bucky smirked at him. "Two can play that game, sweetheart," he informed Tony mock solemnly as he stripped off his shirt in one efficient movement and returned the favor. 

The feeling of Bucky's hands on him -- one cool and hard and the other warm and calloused -- sent a shudder up Tony's spine. "So this is off to a good start. I vote we move this to the bed."

"I am so okay with that," Bucky told him, briefly letting go and pulling the shirt off over Tony's head. A beat later, he started hastily moving Tony towards said bed using his grip on Tony's hips.

Steve sniggered at them, then disappeared into the master bathroom -- presumably to get the requisite supplies -- as they got their feet tangled together in their eagerness and tumbled onto the bed in a heap, laughing. Tony had ended up on top, and he didn't mind that one bit. It meant that Bucky's hands were free to wander, rather than support Bucky's weight. They swept up Tony's sides, leaving behind opposing trails of goosebumps and warmth and a tingle that Tony wasn't sure he'd ever felt before.

Sure enough, Steve reappeared a few seconds later with the lube and condoms that Tony favored, as Bucky's hands came up to cup Tony's tits, as he'd done himself just a moment ago. The feeling of cool metal on one side and warm flesh on the other was mesmerizing in a way Tony hadn't expected, and he groaned. "Shit, Barnes," he quipped, "I'm gonna need more than that."

Steve tossed the things he carried to Bucky, who looked smug again, and said, "You'll get it."

Bucky caught the supplies, seemingly without looking, dropped them onto the bed next to his side, and settled Tony in the vee of his unselfconsciously sprawled legs. It left his hard cock pressed firmly against Tony's crotch, and Tony could feel the way the tiny shifts of their hips rubbed them together, through the fabric of the pants they both still wore.

"Lose the pants," Tony prompted him.

Bucky responded by undoing the button and fly of Tony's pants, instead. "Rather get you naked," he said. "I've been wanting this for a while."

"Fine, if it gets me your mouth, I don't even care if you keep them on." Tony decided to roll with the request. Let Bucky keep his tight pants on if he wanted. The button looked like it was about to pop open on its own under the pressure of Bucky's hard cock, and Tony was pretty sure that was uncomfortable. But, he kept his shrug to himself, there was no knowing what Bucky did and didn't like where such things were concerned. Not yet, anyway.

The statement got him a huff. "'F I take 'em off I won't last," Bucky said, a hint of embarrassment in his voice.

That wouldn't do. Tony raised an eyebrow at him. "Flattery will get you everywhere," he shot back, and Steve laughed at him again.

"Now that's an untrue statement if I've ever heard one," Steve put in, and Tony glanced over to see him jerking himself off fluidly, looking like this was the best show he'd ever seen.

It probably was.

Tony pulled away and stood. He had to, to strip his jeans off. Forcing them over his hips -- sometimes suddenly having curves caused trouble; pants that fit him as a guy didn't want to come off if he switched genders -- he also pulled off the boxers that had ridden up until they were bunched up all around his ass and crotch, letting them dangle from his fingers for a moment before he tossed them at Steve.

Predictably, they were caught and Steve brought them to his face, inhaling deeply. "Damn, Tony," his lover groaned, "you always smell so good."

Bucky made a sound like he wanted to speak, then changed his mind and sat up just enough that he could get his arms around Tony and tumble him back onto the bed. Tony yelped, surprised, when he was pulled off balance. The backs of his knees hit the edge of the mattress, and his legs buckled, leaving him overbalanced. He fell backwards, his arms flailing, and landed on the mattress with a grunt. Bucky was ready for that, though. He deftly got a hold of Tony's hands and pinned them next to Tony's shoulders, looming over him.

"Well?" Tony caught Bucky's storm grey eyes, "you just gonna stare at me, or you gonna get down to business?"

Sliding down Tony's front without breaking eye contact, letting skin brush teasingly against skin, Bucky slowly did as Tony demanded. "Can't I do both?"

He stopped along the way to tease at Tony's collarbone with his teeth, then nip his way down to a breast, letting his stubble rasp against Tony's skin. The way it prickled and stung was new and strange, but he could ignore the weirdness in the face of the way Bucky was riling him up, apparently effortlessly.

Tony tugged at the grip Bucky had on his wrists, and felt a shock of heat go through him when he couldn't get free. "Come on, Bucky, shit."

The commentary got him an unrepentant chuckle and Bucky inched down just that little bit farther to take a nipple between his teeth and flick at it with his tongue.

Tony swore and squirmed, his back arching, and Bucky smirked up at him. Rather than give Tony more, though, he continued trying to drive him insane with need. Letting go of that nipple, he leaned over to give the other one the same treatment, then continued inching his way down Tony's front, leaving behind hickeys and bite marks as he pleased.

They stung in a pleasant kind of way, and kept him squirming. "Fuck, you're better at this than I thought," he managed to get out.

Steve laughed at him. "He's had practice, Tony," his lover reminded him.

"So have you, punk," Bucky put in as he very deliberately toyed with the sensitive spot he'd found just below Tony's ribs with his teeth. "You just never put it to good use until now."

All Tony could do was groan, as the touches sent him spiraling higher.

He lost a bit of time, then, because the next thing he knew Bucky was shifting downward again and there was a new hickey rising where Bucky had been, feeling like a spot of heat Bucky's mouth and breath had left behind, lingering under his skin. Belately, Tony realised he was breathing hard, and so wet he thought dazedly that he might drip onto the bed.

When his shoulders pressed against Tony's thighs, keeping him spread wide, Bucky paused. "You're right, Steve, he does smell amazing."

Tony whined, his back arching again as he tried to find a bit of friction, not bothering to hide the shock of arousal that zinged through him at the idea that both of them would know what he smelled and tasted like after this. "It'll be even better after I come," he hinted broadly, knowing he sounded breathless and a bit desperate.

Steve grinned. "True," he agreed.

Ducking his head, Bucky took a first exploratory lick, letting the tip of his tongue tease at the folds Tony knew were there. His hands clenched, and Bucky's grip on his wrists firmed just enough to keep his hands where they were, pressed against the mattress. Tony turned them until he could get his fingers tangled in his sheets, biting at his lip. He knew he'd need something to grab at, if Bucky was half as good at this as he claimed to be, and he had no real reason to doubt the man.

As his fists closed on the sheets, Bucky chuckled at him, and the vibrations felt like they shot right up Tony's spine.

Bucky shifted until he could use his lips and tongue to peel apart the folds of Tony's pussy and delicately savor the taste of the wetness gathering there with a pleased hum.

Tony squirmed, wanting to grind against that talented face, enjoying the feeling of the stubble rasping against the skin of his inner thighs and the plush lips against his sensitive core. At this rate he'd come way sooner than he wanted to, and not soon enough.

Bucky retaliated by prying Tony's hands free of the sheets, pinning them to Tony's belly with his left hand, and holding Tony's hips still with his right.

Being manhandled like that sent a shock of heat through him that turned into a hint of a flush at the base of his throat. Tony threw his head back, a keening sound escaping him, and knew he wasn't going to be able to hold out. He was just too damned aroused. "Bucky," he gritted out, "oh, god. I--"

"Hmmm?"

Now that was just unfair, but there was no way he was going to find the words for that. Instead, he forced out the rest of his sentence, trying not to focus on the shudders that hum had sent through him. "Fuck, oh god, you-- I'm gonna come if you keep that up."

That got him a chuckle, and another pleased hum, this time longer. As he fought to thrust against that talented mouth, Bucky let go of his hip and brought his right hand down to draw his fingers up and down the length of his folds before sliding one inside him.

Tony couldn't help it; he came with a wavering shout, pushed over the delicate knife edge he walked. Bucky didn't let up, adding another finger instead and licking at the spot where said fingers disappeared into him. The move sent more shocks through Tony, and he was pretty sure he came again, though it was hard to tell, with the way he hadn't truly recovered from the first.

Vaguely, Tony heard someone open a condom wrapper through the haze of endorphins making him feel amazing, and he forced himself to peel his eyes open. He hadn't noticed it when they'd fallen shut, and having to focus enough to change that drew his attention to the moisture that clung to his eyelashes. 

Goddamn. Odds were good he wouldn't be able to stand after this, every part of him rendered to jelly.

"Steve?" Tony had to wince at how hoarse his voice sounded already, when they hadn't even been going for very long. He cleared his throat. "Steve?"

That time it came out clearer.

Bucky's hands slid carefully, gently, down his sides, soothing what Tony guessed had sounded like concern to him.

Steve appeared in his field of view, then, and Tony was thankful he didn't have to raise his head. "What is it, Tony?" Steve's broad hands joined Bucky's, tracing light lines across up torso from navel to tits to neck and then lingering in the hair at the nape of Tony's neck. "You okay? Need a break?"

Of course Steve would worry about that, when all Tony wanted to know was where Steve was and what was going to happen next. "Nah," he peeled his hands out of Bucky's grip. "I'm fine."

Bucky allowed him to take back his hands, clearly also wanting to know the answers to the questions Steve had posed, though he kept silent.

Tony ran his fingers through Bucky's hair, pushing it back away from the handsome features it had partially hidden. The touch released some tension in Bucky's shoulders that Tony hadn't even realised was there. "I'm fine," he repeated, finding the energy to move again. Stretching languidly, he watched both of them for a beat. "That was fun. What's next on the playbill? If you don't have any requests, I'm happy to offer suggestions."

Steve huffed at him. "You got to pick for the first round. It's Bucky's turn."

"You being self-sacrificing and waiting to take the last turn, punk?" Bucky raised an eyebrow at his best friend.

"More or less. But you also have no idea what you two look like," Steve told him. "I could almost come just watching you make Tony go wild. Hell, I nearly did."

Bucky smirked at him, then, the expression holding an edge nearly sharp enough to cut the air. "Let's see if we can change that," he told Tony, his voice going commanding. "On your stomach."

Tony felt another hard shudder rush through him, and nodded. Before he moved, though, he asked, "What you got in mind?"

"I thought I'd try to put you through the mattress, this time," Bucky informed him matter-of-factly. "Let you fight for leverage without finding enough to take control because you're face-down, and keep your legs pinned together so that you feel every tiny movement I make."

Jesus. Tony could only stare at him for a moment. "Where the fuck did you learn to talk like that?"

The man had the balls to laugh at him. "You asked," he shrugged. "I answered."

Rather than bother to debate the point, Tony gathered his strength and did as Bucky had demanded. "Well, alright. Let's see what you've got, hot shot."

He had just enough time to see Bucky grin like he'd won the lottery, then he found himself staring at Steve's crotch as hands landed on his hips. As promised. Tony grinned too, licking his lips, and reached up to take the head of Steve's cock in his mouth.

The move, which Steve had apparently not expected, got Tony a surprised sound that almost qualified as a squeak. A beat later, Bucky slapped at Tony's ass. It surprised the hell out of him; he jumped and made a sound he would deny forever, letting go of Steve's cock.

Bucky made a satisfied rumbling noise in the back of his throat that turned into a chuckle and dropped a kiss on the nape of Tony's neck. He pulled back briefly as Steve handed him the unwrapped condom, and asked, "More?"

"If you don't get inside me soon," Tony grumbled, "I might let Steve have his turn first instead."

Steve reached down and wrapped his hands around the balls of Tony's shoulders, pulling him up off the bed and onto his elbows. "But then you'd lose out on the chance to find out just how much Bucky's been wanting this. He's always at his best during the first round."

Tony craned his neck so he could give Steve a long disbelieving look before he spoke. "Either you're lying through your star spangled teeth about that or you've been a lot friendlier with Barnes than you led me to believe. You said you'd never been with anyone when we got together."

Neither of them verbally answered the question implied in the statement. Instead Steve shrugged at him with a hint of a smirk tugging at his features that hinted that Tony had guessed correctly. That Steve might never have outright had sex with Bucky but had definitely fooled around with him.

Steve let him go, stepping back to put himself out of reach, and Tony heard the click as Bucky -- it had to be Bucky, since he could see Steve's hands were empty -- opened the bottle of lube, and then a long line of warm skin suddenly pressed against him, gently pushing him down to the mattress. Bucky's weight on his back felt amazing, weirdly satisfying in ways Steve's never had been. Why that was, Tony had no idea.

Regardless, the shivers that being pinned to the bed sent up his spine were nice, and he felt a wave of goosebumps wash over his skin. Bucky's hands slid over the muscles of Tony's back, pressing just enough to get him to push back into the touch, a glow of pleasure starting to wash over him again.

"This is nice, Buck-o," he said pointedly, shifting until he could support himself on his elbows, "but it's not going to have me screaming your name."

"Just you wait," Bucky muttered, shifting his right hand to Tony's leg and shifting until his hard cock was pressing just lightly against Tony's opening. He held that position, teasing them both some more until Tony felt a visceral shudder run through him and his arousal turn into a needy ache centered between his legs.

Letting himself fall back onto the mattress and reaching back with both hands, he grabbed at Bucky's hips and yanked.

He hadn't directly taken action until now, content to let the duo show him a good time, but the teasing was a bit too much. Bucky, unprepared for the move, had to scramble for balance and control. Tony felt the ache ease into pleasure, pressure, and a stretch that left him moaning loudly as Bucky slipped inside him at last.

The wounded sound Bucky made when Tony took him in had Steve hissing a litany of swear words under his breath and Tony caught a glimpse of Steve jerking himself off a second time as he watched Bucky wreck Tony. The beads of precome at the tip of Steve's cock made Tony want to have it in his mouth, to have them filling him at both ends. 

He would have demanded just that, had he had the breath and the wherewithal to find the words. Bucky kept him from asking in the only effective way; he sheathed himself fully and used his calves to push Tony's legs back together. Tony's hands fell back to the mattress and he grabbed at whatever he could, in a bid to find leverage. All he found was the sheets, and the thought that he should modify the headboard with handholds that would stand up to a pair of super soldiers flitted through his awareness.

Bucky waited just long enough to take a breath and adjust the placement of his knees on the mattress, then followed through on his promise with a somewhat possessive growl. "You are a spitfire, aren't you?" He breathed as he bent down to nip his way up the side of Tony's neck to his ear.

"Steve loves it," Tony managed to say as Bucky started moving, his hands kneading at Tony's ass, keeping them lined up at just the right angle. The contrast of hard cold metal and strong muscle and bone was enough to make Tony bite his lip. It felt amazing and he definitely wanted to see how that hand felt doing a lot of other things. Like massaging his tits, or jerking him off. Or inside him. In either gender.

"Yeah, I do," Steve put in, and bit his lip and broke off as he came with a quiet whine. He fell silent as he worked himself through his orgasm, biting his lip and breathing hard.

Bucky's movements stuttered for a moment as he took in the sight, and Tony couldn't have that. Focusing his attention, he bore down on Bucky, making Bucky's thrusts that much more satisfying for all that the rhythm had been broken. The way he tightened around Bucky got him a great reaction; Bucky used his left hand to haul Tony's hips up off the bed by a few inches and reached around with his right to rub at his clit.

Tony's hands clenched hard around his handfuls of the sheets and his back arched as Bucky suddenly hit that perfect angle. "Oh, yes, there. _Right there!_ Come on, harder."

Mercifully, Bucky followed directions, and what seemed like mere seconds later, Tony was coming hard, clenching down on Bucky and his muscles locking up.

"Tony, shit," Bucky's hand tightened around his hip as he followed Tony into orgasm. The hard grip left Tony wincing slightly and sure he'd have a few finger bruises.

When his muscles unlocked, Bucky simply draped himself over Tony's back, working hard to catch his breath. He was an over-warm sweaty weight, now, but somehow he smelled amazing.

Steve tended to, as well, actually, Tony thought dazedly, as he drifted down from the high. Maybe that was a serum thing.

As though the thoughts of him had summoned him, Steve was suddenly in front of him and physically peeling Bucky away from his back. "Doing okay, Tony?"

"Gonna be sore tomorrow, but I couldn't care less," Tony told Steve, not bothering to raise his head.

"C'mere, then," Steve urged him to his feet.

It took effort, but after a couple of tries, Tony managed it. He wavered on his feet briefly, and Steve grinned at him. "Tired?"

"Not enough to call a halt." Tony raised an eyebrow. "What're you planning?"

Rather than answer him, Steve turned to Bucky. "It bother you if we break out the toy box?"

"Gonna need more details than that, Steve," Bucky replied, stretching languidly and showing off all the long lines of muscle he had.

"I want to see Tony make you come with the contents while I'm buried deep inside him."

Bucky pushed himself onto his back and up on his elbows. "I'm not against that, but what toys?"

Tony decided to step in. "You name it, and I probably own one," he said. "Depending on what you like, I can adjust."

"No idea what I like," Bucky shrugged. 

"We could start with pegging, if that's your speed," Tony suggested.

"Pegging?"

Steve cleared his throat, but when he spoke his voice still held a hint of a hoarse burr. "You like penetration, Buck?"

Bucky considered that for a beat. "No idea, but try it. I've been wondering what all the fuss is about."

Permission granted, Tony nodded and grabbed for a harness and his slenderest strap on. He'd gotten a few when he'd first gotten cursed, and never regretted it. At first, he'd just used the dildoes on himself, when he needed a bit of relief. After he'd gotten together with Steve, the harness had occasionally seen some use, too, but Steve preferred to be on the other side of the action. Deftly settling the dildo in the o-ring meant to hold it in place, then stepping into the harness and adjusting the straps, he settled the toy into its slot then turned back to Bucky. "If you change your mind about this," he put in, "that's ok, but you've gotta tell me."

"We'll see," Bucky smirked at him. "Lookin' at you isn't hurting my interest any."

Obviously eager to see the results of his request, Steve shoved the bottle of lube at Tony.

Tony hefted it in his hand twice, then held out his hand expectantly. Steve blinked at it for a moment before the dots connected and he lunged for the box of condoms he'd left on the bathroom sink. Fumbling with the box briefly and nearly sending the contents spilling over the floor in his haste, Steve dug in the box until he came up with one and tossed it at Tony. 

He pulled out another handful, and put them within easy reach on the nightstand.

Tony had to bite his lip to keep from laughing outright at his lover. Well, meantime Bucky definitely also counted as his lover, though. Anyway. Refocusing his attention, Tony slid on the condom and popped open the cap of the lube bottle.

The sound sent a shiver through Bucky. Tony caught his eyes. "You do know how this works, right?"

Rolling his eyes, Bucky sat up enough to grab at one of Tony's wrists and pull until Tony was kneeling on the mattress next to him. "Yeah, I know how this works. You don't have to treat me like a teenage virgin."

"Fair enough. Try not to tense up," Tony took him at his word, lubing up his fingers and settling himself between Bucky's legs. It mirrored their earlier position, and Tony spared a moment to find that weirdly appropriate before he ran his dry hand up Bucky's leg and flank, and brought his other hand down to rest against Bucky's opening.

The touch made Bucky tense up, and that was exactly what Tony didn't want, so he left his fingers there a moment, letting Bucky acclimate to the feeling and relax again. When he did, Tony gave him a fingertip, and watched, amused, as Bucky tried to decide what he thought of that. "That's it?" He asked, sounding a bit disbelieving.

"Oh no, handsome," Tony slid his finger in a bit farther as he spoke, and used his free hand to pinch lightly at the skin over Bucky's hip, "there's a lot more to it than that, and it gets better."

"Well, get on with it, then. This just feels strange."

"Your wish is my command." Tony decided a distraction was called for, and caught Steve's attention. "C'mere Steve. Kiss him while I open him up."

"Buck?" Steve stepped around to the side of the mattress and leaned in, looking for consent, Tony suspected.

Bucky reached up and wrapped his left hand around the back of Steve's neck, then pulled.

Steve made a startled sound, suddenly overbalanced, and nearly fell onto Bucky. Instead they ended up chest-to-chest, with their faces inches apart. The moment held just long enough for Tony to notice it, and then they were kissing wildly. It was almost sloppy, thanks to Steve's pent up want.

When Bucky was well and truly invested in the kiss, Tony took the opportunity to slide in a second finger and wait. Bucky's cock was slowly hardening again, already. Taking that for a good sign, Tony waited a few seconds longer before he started carefully scissoring his fingers, pressing at the muscle and convincing it to relax. That didn't take long, thankfully.

The sounds Steve and Bucky were making as they made out enthusiastically were starting to get Tony riled up again. It wasn't as strong a feeling as it had been at the beginning, but enough to send shivers of arousal fizzing up and down his spine. Bucky was showing no signs of distress, so Tony took the opportunity to try to find Bucky's sensitive spots.

There were a couple of small areas that made Bucky squirm and Tony made note of them, but kept looking. When he found it, Bucky jumped and made a strangled noise.

Steve pulled back to let Bucky breathe properly, and grinned at him. "Good?" He asked his friend, looking unbearably smug for all that it had been Tony to pop Bucky's cherry.

"Goddamn." Bucky looked like he was searching for words, so Tony pressed his fingers against that one spot again just to watch Bucky's expression go blank, all his words wiped away by the surge of pleasure.

"Want more?" Tony let up the pressure for a moment.

Bucky's chest heaved for a moment as he fought to regulate his breathing. "Do it."

Pulling his fingers free, slowly, Tony wiped his hand off on the sheets, not caring that they'd be ruined -- he could replace the sheets a thousand times over and not care -- then lubed up the dildo, positioned himself, and slid the toy home. Bucky's back arched and he whined.

Steve leaned in to kiss him again, then pulled away. The sudden lack of stimulation had Bucky reaching out to Steve with one hand. Dodging the very half-hearted grab, Steve shifted until he was behind Tony, then reached down to manhandle them both into a position that allowed him to sheathe himself in Tony.

He didn't wait. Steve started moving without doing more than pause for a moment when he was seated, and started to jerk Bucky off as well.

That was pretty clearly his cue to do what he could to wreck Bucky and make him come, Tony knew. If he didn't, Bucky would end up coming because of Steve rather than him, and that just wasn't what he wanted to happen.

It had been a while, but his body remembered the movements, thrusting in slowly and grinding against that perfect spot. Bucky sure seemed to appreciate it. He fought for more and harder, and Tony was hard pressed not to give in and follow Bucky's rhythm. And Steve wasn't helping one bit, keeping his own pace measured and steady. It felt fantastic, and the surges of sensation were very difficult to force aside long enough that he could focus on making Bucky come.

"Tony, come on, give him what he wants. Give him more," Steve put in. "I said I wanted to see you make him come with the toy. Are you going to leave me hanging?"

Well. Put that way.

"Guess I'd better not," Tony conceded. He changed the angle of his thrusts a fraction, pulling a shout out of Bucky, and put more force behind his movements.

A few thrusts later, Bucky was coming all over himself with a sound like a sob.

Steve took that as his cue to shift back and pull Tony free, getting a weak sound of pleased satisfaction out of Bucky in the process.

Tony would have ribbed Bucky about that a bit, but Steve pulled him into his lap and proceeded to continue fucking him. After Steve had manhandled him into position, again, Tony's legs were splayed wide and wrapped around Steve's hips so that his ankles crossed roughly behind Steve's ass. Steve was on his knees, sitting on his ankles, and using his strength to lift Tony up a few inches so that he could thrust himself home just at the right angle. The change in position let Steve thrust even deeper than before, and Tony was not-so-quietly losing his mind, his hands searching for something to grab onto without conscious direction. They ended up around Steve's wrists. "Steve, oh god," he managed to get out in between the moans that Steve was wringing out of him, "oh, shit, yes, like that, fuck."

Bucky's eyes on him were only serving to sent him spiraling higher. The knowledge that they were being watched made everything seem that little bit more intense. He could feel every inch of Steve and it only got better when Steve slid deep inside and made sure to grind the head of his cock against that spot that made Tony see stars.

Without warning, Steve slammed himself home fast and hard a few times, and Tony couldn't do anything but cling to him as he came, feeling his muscles spasm and clench around Steve's cock. Steve's movements ground to a halt briefly and he gasped for air, sounding like he'd just swum several klicks underwear. Tony let himself go limp against Steve, feeling like he might fall asleep right where he was if Steve let him. The deep stretch of Steve's cock still felt good.

Once Tony started to come down off the high a little, Steve started moving again, the thrusts slow and deliberate. "Tony?"

"Go on," Tony told him, reaching back to thread one hand into Steve's hair. He took a handful and pulled lightly, feeling the way Steve's head tilted in response. "I want to feel you come deep inside me. I want to feel you go tense all over and leave finger bruises on my hips. I want you to feel as good as you've made me feel."

"Tony!" Steve shuddered, and came with a keening whine, his movements going jerky. 

Bucky purred and leaned over to trail a hand up Steve's leg. "Now that was fun to watch. We continuing?"

Steve leaned in to kiss him soundly, keeping Tony from answering. It took a while for the kiss to break, despite the awkward angle. "Yeah, no," Tony decided, a bit reluctantly, "I think I'm done for now. You two go play, if you want. I need a shower and a drink."

Steve chuckled at him and kissed him again, broad hands sliding up Tony's front to cup his tits and squeeze just enough to make Tony squirm. Tingles of arousal skittered up his spine, but he knew he was done. Tony didn't pursue the point when Steve released him.

Bucky, did, though, leaning in to claim a kiss of his own, and Tony groaned at the way the tastes of his two lovers mingled on his tongue. If he wasn't tapped out...

He pulled back after a pleasant minute, and peeled himself away from Steve's chest. Steve helped him up far enough that the dick inside him popped back out with a slick sound of come and lube on skin and rubber.

"Gonna be so sore tomorrow." Tony let himself fall onto his back on the mattress as both his lover's snickered at him.

"Well, you wanted it," Bucky pointed out, entirely unapologetic.

"And it was totally worth it," Tony answered in kind. "We're doing this again soon if I have any say in it."

"Go shower, then," Steve prodded at him, "and drink some water."

Tony made a face, then forced himself slowly to his feet. His muscles felt more like noodles, and all of him weighed about four times as much as normal. He took the few steps over to the master bathroom, wavering just slightly on his feet, and set to cleaning up his toys. It took him a couple of fumbling attempts to remove the condom and dispose of it, then strip off the harness and strap-on.

The shower turned on with a touch, and Tony waited just long enough for the water to warm before he stepped under it. As soon as the spray of water his his skin, he felt the transformation come over him again. The change made Tony wince; the spray was suddenly hitting his dick, which felt oversensitised and almost raw. Biting his lip, Tony swallowed back the slightly pained grunt that tried to escape him and cleaned himself up. His movements were slow and deliberate, careful. He didn't want to overbalance and end up falling on his ass or otherwise injuring himself.

That would just be embarrassing.

Once he was nearly finished, Steve slipped into the shower to stand behind him, and run his hands over Tony's back. The touch was grounding and felt really good. "Mmm," Tony leaned back against his lover and let the spray of water hit his chest, "where's Bucky?"

"Right here," Bucky answered from where he stood leaning one hip against the sink.

Tony jumped a little; he hadn't heard Bucky come into the room. "Well get in here and clean up," he suggested, letting his voice take on a bit of command.

Some ten minutes later, they were getting in each others' way as they dried off. Tony only barely escaped without getting thrown over Steve's shoulder this time -- and he wasn't sure why Steve wanted to pick him up in the first place, but whatever -- then made a break for the bedroom.

The sheets were a total loss, mussed and dirty.

Bucky took one look at them, and made a face. "I don't know about you. But I don't particularly want to sleep in that bed."

Tony shrugged. "Then we'll use yours."


	8. Epilogue

It'd been a month since the three of them had fallen into bed together. To Tony's surprise, it was still working. They'd only repeated the sexy part of their experiment a few more times, mostly because Bucky had been a bit hesitant to simply jump in feet first. That had also been surprising, given what Tony knew of the guy. Not unwelcome, though.

It had given them more leeway to find their footing properly.

They'd had a few small arguments, but nothing intense enough to convince them it would be better to discontinue their arrangement.

Pepper had given him a long look when she'd figured it out and told him that he needed to keep from building a super soldier harem, for PR reasons. Bucky, who'd overheard that, had doubled over laughing while Tony sputtered.

It had meant having a conversation.

Bucky had been the one to open that can of worms. "So," he'd asked much later that night, when they were tangled up in Tony's extravagantly large bed, "does this mean we're making things a little more permanent?"

"If it were just up to me, I'd say yes," Steve had answered.

"I can't say it'll work forever," Tony said on a sigh, "or that it'll always be as good as it has been. People and circumstances change. But I'm open to giving it a shot." When the other two relaxed against him, he added, "The fantastic sex is a damned good incentive."

It got him twin smirks, and Steve pulled him possessively close. "You've got us for as long as you want us, then."


End file.
